Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder characterized by intermittent obstruction of the supralaryngeal airway. Such intermittent obstruction of the supralaryngeal airway is commonly caused by the tongue falling backward in the throat while the patient is sleeping so as to obstruct the airway. OSA typically results in significant sleep disruption, leading to excessive daytime drowsiness for the patient. OSA may also lead to cardiovascular and pulmonary disease due to the obstruction of the supralaryngeal airway, particularly where the apneal episodes last for 60 seconds or more.
Various treatments have been developed to address OSA. The more conservative treatments include prescribing weight loss to reduce tissue mass, pharmaceutical treatments, the wearing of oral appliances while sleeping, and the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices to maintain patency in the supralaryngeal airway. However, where such conservative treatments are not effective, or where such conservative treatments are not tolerated by the patient, a surgical procedure may be needed to prevent the tongue from obstructing the supralaryngeal airway while the patient is sleeping. Unfortunately, all of the surgical procedures developed to date suffer from one or more significant disadvantages, including poor performance, excessive trauma to the patient (e.g., the tongue and/or jaw tissue), excessive discomfort for the patient, etc.
Accordingly, a new method and apparatus is needed to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).